Gordy Ha spent his early life fighting an autoimmune disorder that left him constantly sick and fatigued. <\/p>\n
Despite his illness, his use of a 3D printer sparked an interest in ghost guns, leading him to publish research, something he did alongside his love of powerlifting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For 18 years, Ha lived with Graves\u2019 disease, an illness which causes the immune system to attack the thyroid, the organ that controls all of the body\u2019s metabolic hormones. <\/p>\n
This can cause things such as muscle weakness, anxiety, and weight loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lived with amnesia. I only weighed like 100 pounds,\u201d he said. \u201cI was a very sickly kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2019, leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ha\u2019s disease forced him to stay inside, something which gave him more time around his computer. <\/p>\n
While browsing the internet, he kept hearing about something that ignited his curiosity \u2014 ghost guns, untraceable firearms made by 3D printers.<\/p>\n
Printing gone ghost\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ha, having access to a printer, wondered how easy it would be to make a gun himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my own bedroom during COVID, I 3D printed the lower receiver, a handle, and a stock of an AR-15, and I thought to myself, \u2018That was surprisingly easy,\u2019\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following his experiment, Ha realized something \u2014 if it was so easy for an 18-year-old to manufacture these weapons in his bedroom, ghost guns could pose a serious threat to the public if produced by someone with less-than-pure intentions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He started researching both 3D printers and ghost guns, seeking a way to trace weapons back to the machine on which they were originally printed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Eventually, Ha discovered that when a 3D printer is calibrated, scratch marks are often left on the machine. <\/p>\n
These marks, almost like fingerprints, would be engraved on anything the printer created \u2014 including weapons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Taking it public<\/p>\n
At first, he wasn\u2019t sure what to do with his discovery, but, after sitting on the research for some time, he approached Doug King, one of his professors at Mount Royal University.\u00a0<\/p>\n
King was familiar with ghost guns and knew that little examination had been done on them. So, he encouraged Ha to pursue the idea, knowing that the investigation could go somewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing that Ha had already experimented on his own showed King that Ha was dedicated to his work, something that set him apart from most other students.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of connected with Gordy,\u201d King said. \u201cHe\u2019s really prepared to push the boundaries in terms of going to try something new, and I think that\u2019s really intriguing from [him].\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2024, after extensive work and further research, Ha published his findings as part of his Bachelor\u2019s in Criminal Justice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The work was quickly recognized for its novelty and quality and was soon given to agencies such as the Calgary Police Service.<\/p>\n
A new hurdle\u00a0<\/p>\n
Afterwards, with plenty of time on his hands, Ha was left looking for another goal to chase. Soon, he stumbled upon something he\u2019d never tried before \u2014 powerlifting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ha participated in his first competition with a lifting club at the University of Calgary, earning a silver medal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, due to his ongoing illness, Ha often struggled while training for these competitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBlood would just explode out of my nose, and I nearly fainted because I pushed my body so hard that blood vessels started popping,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that point, Ha noticed that his condition seemed to be getting worse, and both he and his doctors worried that if untreated, he would be at risk of thyroid cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, shortly after being put on medication, Ha underwent surgery to have his thyroid removed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following the operation, he spent time recovering before eventually resuming his powerlifting training.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t satisfied with one competition,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Upcoming life<\/p>\n
Going forward, Ha plans to continue powerlifting. <\/p>\n
A major goal of his is to compete on Team Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, that doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s leaving his criminal justice degree behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He is currently studying for the LSAT as he aims to attend law school, which he says is one of the hardest things he\u2019s undertaken in his life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ha hopes to inspire many others with his story, showing what is possible despite the challenges they may face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what your capabilities are until you try, that\u2019s something I\u2019ve learned,\u201d he said. \u201cDo your best.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n